affairs

noun

plural of affair
1
as in romances
also affaires a brief romantic relationship an affair between two singles spending the summer at the same beach resort

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in events
a social gathering the annual country club dance is a really fancy affair

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in productions
something produced by physical or intellectual effort the lead float in the parade was a pretty impressive affair, a giant eagle's head with equally huge wings

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in things
something that happens the whole affair from start to finish took a total of 15 minutes

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in matters
something to be dealt with it's none of your affair whom I'm going out with tonight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of affairs City and county cultural affairs officials presented complementary efforts. — Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach and current NBC Sports NFL analyst Mike Tomlin offered his perspective on what a players-only meeting can signal about a team’s state of affairs. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Reinwald, 58, works as the external affairs officer for the California State Treasurer’s Office. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Ternus is tight-lipped about how his approach to government affairs might differ from Cook’s. — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 The two most consequential games in Week 5 were tight, high-scoring affairs between Super Bowl contenders that weren't decided until the last seconds. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 In the early 1980s, Morrison became a co-host of the CBC Network’s The Journal flagship news and current affairs program. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 In an interview with The Conversation’s politics and legal affairs editor Naomi Schalit, election law scholar Justin Levitt takes the temperature down a bit. — Justin Levitt, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2026 Through their conversations while in transit, Chidgasornpongse slowly uncoils the affairs haunting each character, from the seemingly quotidian to the most profound. — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affairs
  1. romances
  2. events
  3. productions
  4. things
  5. matters
  6. intrigues
  7. parties
  8. products
Noun
  • The elder sisters’ romances with good (George MacKay as Edward Ferrars) and bad men (Frank Dillane as John Willoughby).
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Composed of 160 photographs taken across the past seven decades by 118 photographers, the show suggests the jobs, romances, family life, and lazy afternoons that could have been his.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of romances
Noun
  • Hundreds also turned out for a No Kings protest in Boise Saturday, one of 3,000 such events nationwide aimed at mobilizing early voters.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Part of its purpose, from the beginning, was not only to deliver new facts but to interpret ragged events for a nervous audience of relatively prosperous, largely white viewers who shared Wallace’s concern about the shape and tenor of the future.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of events
Noun
  • As a producer, her work has contributed to Emmy-, Peabody-, and Webby Award-winning productions.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Capton also said Mediawan intends to bring Reese’s Book Club internationally, including through potential productions in France and elsewhere in Europe.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of productions
Noun
  • Which brings us back to the list of things that lasted longer than Zacharia’s term as White House Press Secretary.
    — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The wide-leg pants keep things relaxed, and the ruched waist on the knit top adds shape and makes the whole look feel more polished than a standard sweatshirt set.
    — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of things
Noun
  • This matters because young broiler chickens (chickens raised for meat) require very warm conditions to mature.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • That rinse-clean standard matters for anyone worried about buildup, since a scalp oil that lingers after washing can leave hair looking greasy rather than nourished.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of matters
Noun
  • However, work stalled at the 60th floor and was paused for several years, with multiple reports naming palace intrigues and purges by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the cause for the delay.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The series has always moved at a deliberate pace, allowing the characters’ social battles and romantic intrigues to simmer.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of intrigues
Noun
  • Talarico outlined ways both parties could come together to find solutions.
    — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Their presence has fueled social tensions in Ceuta and become a political issue across Spain, where opposition parties hope to use migration concerns to unseat the progressive government in next month's elections.
    — JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of parties
Noun
  • Last year, an investigation by Consumer Reports, Groundwork Collaborative and More Perfect Union found that shoppers on Instacart were shown different prices for identical products at the same stores.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The partnership grew from the NFL’s local merchandise collaboration initiative intended to add diversity to team products with highly localized offerings, the Chiefs said in announcing the collection.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of products

Browse Nearby Words

affair
affairs
affect
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Cite this Entry

“Affairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affairs. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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